The present invention relates to electronic monetary systems in general, and in particular to measures for making their use easier for an average user.
A conventional Internet Service Provider (ISP) system is shown in FIG. 1. The basic duty of an ISP is to transfer data from one network such as the Internet to another network such as the conventional telephone network, and vice versa. A user can connect to the Internet network 116 using his computer 100 and modem 102 via the conventional telephone network, represented in FIG. 1 by the user's local telephone exchange 104, and via the ISP system 105. A conventional ISP system 105 comprises a Call Control Point 106, which receives the calls and directs them to terminal servers 112. The terminal servers 112 basically convert the data signals from the form used in the conventional telephone network to the form used in the network 116 to which the ISP system 105 is connected to, and vice versa. A typical ISP system 105 further comprises a router 114, which receives the data signals from terminal servers 112 and sends them to the network 116, and conversely, receives data signals from the network 116, and based on the destination addresses given in the data signals, forwards each signal to the correct terminal server 112. A typical ISP system 105 also comprises a proxy 118, which functions as an intermediary between the users of the ISP and third parties in the network 116. A proxy typically caches in its mass memory most recent documents, which the users of the ISP retrieve from the network. If a user transmits a request for a document which had recently been accessed from the ISP and is therefore cached in the memory of the proxy, the proxy sends the user a copy of the document from its memory, in order to reduce the load on the network 116 and speed up the service perceived by the user.
The data signals are transferred in the Internet with TCP/IP protocol, which is described in detail in the standards RFC 791 and RFC 793. World Wide Web (WWW) documents can be accessed on WWW servers in the Internet with the help of the HTTP protocol, which defines among others, a standard format for requesting a certain document on a given WWW server. Version 1.0 of the HTTP protocol is defined in the standard RFC 1945. The TCP/IP protocol and the HTTP protocol are both well known to the man skilled in the art, and do not require further elaboration.
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a second type of telephone network service, namely a voice service provider system 210 used for example in automated ordering services. FIG. 2 shows an example, how an Intelligent Network (IN) compliant telephone exchange can be used to produce an automated service. The voice service system 210 comprises an IN-compliant Service Switching Point (SSP) 104, a Service Control Point (SCP) 110 which controls the SSP, and a database with voice output 212. The duty of the SSP is basically to connect the callers to the outputs of the database 212. The user can, for example, order tickets from such a service by pressing the number keys on his telephone, while the SCP guides the user with the help of the messages in the database 212. Intelligent Network features and the capabilities of various IN components, such as the CCP, SCP and SSP are described in several CCITT recommendations, for example the recommendations Q.1201, Q.1202, Q.1203, Q.1204, Q.1205, Q.1211, Q.1213, Q.1214, Q.1215, and Q.1218.
Several versions of electronic money are available or under development today. An overview of major versions of electronic money is given in the cover story and related articles in the June 1996 issue of the Byte magazine. In one system, a user can obtain electronic cash from a provider of electronic cash, which gives the user electronic symbols representing the amount of money paid by the user. The user typically stores these symbols in his computer with the help of a electronic wallet program, and uses the symbols later for payment of various services or merchandise over a telecommunications network, such as the Internet. After the transaction, the merchant can send the received symbols to the provider of electronic cash and change them to real money. Such an electronic monetary system is described in detail in, for example, the European patent application EP 542 298 and the references contained therein. An electronic monetary system based on the use of credit cards or like means of payment is currently being developed by major credit card companies. One similar credit card based system is described in the standard RFC 1898.
Common to all current electronic monetary systems is that they are cumbersome from the user's point of the view. The user must first obtain the electronic money before being able to pay for services or merchandise over a communications network such as the Internet. Further, the user typically needs a special electronic wallet program. In one major credit card based electronic monetary system, the user must obtain an electronic identification certificate identifying him as the rightful owner and user of his credit card.
These requirements cause a burden on the user, and requires the average user to know about the details of various forms of electronic money and learn how to obtain and use such electronic money. The symbols representing the electronic money are typically stored on the hard disk of the user's computer, and are vulnerable to accidental erasure or malfunction of the hard disk. Therefore, the user should take good care of the electronic cash, and take backup copies of the symbols representing the money. Although electronic monetary systems provide for replacement of accidentally lost electronic money, the replacement procedure is a burden on the user. Further, since there are more than one type of electronic money being developed, the user needs to obtain all major types of electronic money if he desires not to be limited in his buying choices, since it is very probable that all merchants will not accept all forms of electronic money.